The invention is directed to a transport system, in particular an airport luggage transport system.
U.S. published application 2002/0063037 A1 discloses a transport system for transporting containers that transport individual items, for example luggage, along a transport path. The transport path has a plurality of straight sections, with both sides of the bottom sides of the containers resting on conveyor belts. The containers are oriented and guided by sidewalls.
Disadvantageously, this conventional conveyor system is not able to safely and controllably guide the containers. This is particularly disadvantageous when containers are to be x-rayed by an x-ray unit arranged along the transport path.
DE 197 07 321 A1 discloses a conveyor system for containers which moves the containers along a transport path. The containers are moved by conveyor belts formed as revolving flat endless belts which are guided over deflection wheels. One container side rests on a conveyor belt that transfers a driving force to the container; the other container side is supported by freely rotatable support rollers. The containers are guided by a guiding rail that cooperates with a corresponding pin-shaped guiding element disposed on the bottom side of the containers. The guiding element is guided in the guiding rail while also preventing the container from lifting off the transport path. The containers are guided by two lateral sides of the guiding rail extending in the transport direction, which also prevents a transverse motion of the containers.
DE 699 03 284 T2 discloses a transport system for transporting goods, for example luggage items, at airports, whereby the items are arranged in containers that are moved along a transport path by drive means in the form of a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt includes straight guiding rails for the containers. The guiding rails guide a container by engaging with a groove disposed between webs on the bottom side of the container.
In addition, DE 197 08 390 C2 discloses a rail-bound floor transport system with floor transport units having rotatably supported wheels that roll on a textile surface which is disposed on a rail member and hence forms the running surface for the wheels. The running surfaces are bounded on the inside by elongated flat lateral guides. Guiding rollers with vertical rotation axes that are rotatably supported on the bottom side of the floor transport units roll on the inside running surfaces. The two running surfaces are located slightly above the base of the rail member due the thickness of the textile surfaces, so that the guiding rollers for lateral guiding the floor transport units extend below the running surfaces.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved device for controllably, securely and “gently” guiding the containers in the transport system, which obviates prior art shortcomings and is able to specifically accurately orient the containers and the individual items.